Coasters are often used under the legs of a piece of furniture to act as a buffer between the legs and the floor on which the piece of furniture rests. Typically, coasters take the form of glass or rubber discs having flat bottoms that rest on the floor. By positioning the coasters between the furniture legs and the floor, the weight of the furniture leg is dispersed over a larger area such that the furniture leg does not scratch or mar the floor when the piece of furniture is moved or leave a depression in the floor when the piece of furniture remains in one place for an extended period of time.
In addition, furniture glides or sliders have been developed that are also positioned between the legs of a piece of furniture and the carpeting on which the piece of furniture rests. By way of example, Bushey, U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,705 discloses a furniture glide that facilitates the movement of a piece of furniture on carpeted and bare floors. The furniture glide includes a convo-convex disc having an arcuate convex lower surface, a concave upper surface defining a central cavity, and resilient pad fixed to the disc upper surface within the central cavity below the edge thereof. Adhesive is provided for securing the resilient pad to the bottom of the piece of furniture or to the leg of the piece of furniture.
While functional for their intended purpose, prior art furniture glides have certain limitations. More specifically, these furniture glides are designed for mounting onto the bottoms of pieces of furniture or on the legs thereof. As a result, the furniture glides do not fit properly on pieces of furniture that incorporate feet threaded into the bottoms thereof. Further, repeated movement of a piece of furniture along a floor may cause the furniture glide to become detached from the bottom of the piece of furniture. As a result, the furniture glide may become separated from the piece of furniture such that the bottom of piece of furniture may engage and damage the flooring. Therefore, it is highly desirable to provide a furniture glide and/or coaster that may be simply secured to a foot threaded into the bottom of a piece of furniture to prevent damage to the flooring on which the piece of furniture rests.
Therefore, it is a primary object and feature of the present invention to provide a furniture glide that may be securely retained on a foot threaded into the leg of a piece of furniture.
It is a further object and feature of the present invention to provide a furniture glide that is inexpensive to manufacture and simple to utilize.
It is a still further object and feature of the present invention to provide a furniture glide that may be utilized on a foot threaded into the leg of a piece of furniture to prevent damage to the flooring on which the piece of furniture sits.
In accordance with the present invention, a furniture glide is provided that is receivable on a foot of a piece of furniture. The furniture glide includes a retention boot defining a cavity for receiving the foot therein. The retention boot has a bottom wall having an upper surface partially defining the cavity and a lower surface. A slider element is bonded to the lower surface of the bottom wall of the retention boot.
The retention boot also includes a sidewall projecting from the bottom wall. The sidewall may have a generally concave cross section. The retention boot may also include an upper wall having a central opening therethrough. The central opening communicates with the cavity for allowing the foot of the piece of furniture to by inserted into the cavity. A neck projects from the upper wall and extending about the opening.
The slider element includes a disk having an upper surface bonded to the lower surface of the retention boot and a lower surface. The slider element also includes a floor engaging pad having an upper surface bonded to the lower surface of the disk and a lower surface engageable with a supporting surface. Preferably, the floor engaging pad is formed from felt.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a furniture glide is provided that is receivable on a foot of a piece of furniture. The furniture glide includes a retention boot including a bottom wall, upper wall and a sidewall that define a cavity for receiving the foot therein. The upper wall has a central opening therethrough that communicates with the cavity. A neck projects from the upper wall and extends about the opening. A slider is bonded to the bottom wall of the retention boot to facilitate the sliding of the piece of furniture over a supporting surface such a floor or the like.
The sidewall of the retention boot may have a generally concave cross section and the slider may include a disk having an upper surface bonded to the retention boot and a lower surface. The slider also includes a floor engaging pad having an upper surface bonded to the lower surface of the disk and a lower surface engageable with a supporting surface. Preferably, the floor engaging pad is formed from felt.
The bottom wall of the retention boot includes an upper surface communicating with cavity. The upper surface of the bottom wall of the retention boot may include a depression therein. In addition, the bottom wall of the retention boot may include a thickened portion for bearing the foot of the piece of furniture.
In accordance with a still further aspect of the present invention, a furniture glide is provided that is receivable on a foot of a piece of furniture. The furniture glide includes a retention boot that includes a bottom wall, an upper wall and a sidewall that defines a cavity for receiving the foot therein. The upper wall has a reinforced opening therethrough that communicates with the cavity. A slider is bonded to the bottom wall of the retention boot. The slider includes a backing layer and a floor engaging pad.
The sidewall of the retention boot may have a generally concave cross section and the slider may includes a backing layer having an upper surface bonded to the retention boot and a lower surface. The slider also includes a floor engaging pad having an upper surface bonded to the lower surface of the backing layer and a lower surface engageable with a supporting surface. Preferably, the floor engaging pad is formed from felt.
The bottom wall of the retention boot includes an upper surface communicating with cavity. The upper surface of the bottom wall of the retention boot may include a depression therein. In addition, the bottom wall of the retention boot may include a thickened portion for bearing the foot of the piece of furniture.